With over 25 years’ experience between them, supporting expectant mums, Claire and Bethany have witnessed women step into the incredible power of their birthing bodies and make clear, informed decisions that positively impact the outcome of their births, regardless of any challenges they may have faced. The passionate creators of Childbirth Education Australia have a wealth of knowledge to share, and through their classes and resources, their mission is to help women feel prepared and confident in their choices, know their options during pregnancy and the birth experience, and, perhaps most importantly, know that they deserve to feel safe, respected and loved throughout. Here they share their journey so far with The Natural Parent Magazine.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
We are both busy doulas and with a combined 25+ years’ experience of supporting women, it was becoming really obvious that couples who were birthing their babies in a hospital knew very little about childbirth, how to navigate the hospital system and how to achieve a natural birth in a hospital. We became Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educators in 2016 and loved the principles that Lamaze teaches.
After coming through the last couple of years and knowing how many hospitals are no longer offering any birth classes, we decided it was time to create something extraordinary. We decided to open our hearts and share our knowledge and experiences, just like we were sitting in your lounge room having a great honest and in-depth conversation with you. Our topics are essential for first-time parents giving birth in a hospital, what’s important for them to know, and how to navigate a busy hospital system, to come through this experience of childbirth emotionally well and physically safe.
After coming through the last couple of years and knowing how many hospitals are no longer offering any birth classes, we decided it was time to create something extraordinary.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
We were both doulas first and recognised very early on that the level of childbirth education was substandard and many hospitals did not even offer birth classes, which is shocking. The feedback is these classes are less than adequate. The information in these classes tends to lean towards “this is what we do in this hospital”, whereas it should be “this is what we can do to help you have a positive birth experience”.
We knew there was a need to prepare women better to navigate the hospital system and bring ease to the culture of fear that women carry when pregnant. We both recognised that Lamaze Childbirth Education was a great foundation to build on and from there we believe we have built the most comprehensive online courses available.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
We recognised that providing 1-to-1 education classes was limiting our reach. We have so much knowledge and experience to share. The ability to bring this to women in the form of a gentle conversation in a pre-recorded video is the power of technology, to reach many people in the comfort of their own home – it feels like we are sitting on the sofa with them talking about how to enable them to be well prepared for childbirth and parenting.
